Romney aide laments fall of Cain: ‘He keeps Perry down’

An adviser to Mitt Romney’s presidential campaign says in a new book that the campaign was not happy to see former Godfather’s Pizza CEO Herman Cain’s campaign rocked by allegations of inappropriate behavior dating back to the 1990s.

“We didn’t want [opposition research] on him coming out. We wanted him to stay where he is. He keeps Perry down,” the anonymous aide said, referencing Texas Gov. Rick Perry.

The comments were reported in the new e-book, “The Right Fights Back,” which chronicles the 2012 Republican presidential race so far.

Before it was reported in the media that women had accused Cain of sexual harassment while he led the National Restaurant Association, Cain had risen to the top of polls. His numbers have since dropped.

Even when Cain polled high, Romney never made an effort to attack him, likely because he never saw the former businessman as a real threat. On the other hand, Romney clearly sees Perry as a threat to his campaign, as evidenced by his constant attacks on the Texas governor.